Cupid's Fist
by Musicgirl xxx
Summary: Natasha and Tony have both fallen in love with each other but they assume the other will never like them back. Their fairy godparents/matchmakers/teammates set out to get them together.
1. After the battle

In this story, Tony and Pepper dated for a while but never worked out. They are still friends and she is still CEO of Stark Industries. The scene in the tower when Agent Coulson interrupts still happens but there isn't anything romantic, it's just two friends celebrating.

* * *

In the aftermath of that battle there was quiet. Everyone was being ushered around, safe housing being found for the masses that had lost theirs to the gigantic metal beasts that had flown out of the hole in the sky, or to the hulk thinking about it. The Avengers had been guilt tripped by the hulk revived billionaire into trying out a new restaurant, shawarma he called it, not that any of them really had the energy to eat at that moment in time. They had then all shuffled back off to the Stark Tower and crashed in one of the seemingly endless stream of rooms that had actually survived the attack.

It had seemed natural to remain together as a team, they hadn't known each other long but saving a city together seemed to form a bond. The assassins were still more closed off, disappearing almost as soon as they reached the tower, Steve, Bruce and Thor all looking confused when JARVIS greeted Natalie Rushman and neither Natasha or Tony corrected him.

They both brushed it off as being too tired to deal with it now, and in actual fact JARVIS knew her real name, but the name, the alias, held sentimental value for both of them, a time when they got along and were closer than they were now, despite the lies. Natalie Rushman had been a welcome break for Tony, a very organised and attractive one at that, and when things with Pepper hadn't really worked out, he had found himself thinking about her more often than he should have been, especially as she had lied to him and was an agent of the agency he hacked for fun.

Natasha and Clint had slipped away into the tower, Natasha knowing where to go from her time as personal assistant to Tony Stark himself. Clint had more than a few injuries that needed dealing with and, though she hadn't admitted it and wouldn't, she had some wounds that would need cleaning and Clint was determined not to let her get away with them not cleaned. The two assassins treated burns, cuts and wounds, removed shards of glass and gravel and wrapped up sprains and strains until they were fully treated. Thankfully, they were both well practiced at this and the stitches were as good as a doctors would have been.

They both showered (separately, they were just friends, no honestly, they were) to remove dirt and grime and grabbed the change of clothes that seemed to have appeared for both of them, from Pepper they assumed as it was sensible and fitted perfectly. After dressing again, they made their way to the common floor, the one with the Loki shaped hole in the floor, to check on their teammates. Still, they were assassins so whilst Natasha appeared silently in the door frame unnoticed, Clint slipped through the vents and dropped out before the four men, scaring the life out of them and making Pepper jump from her seat at the bar.

"Bloody hell feathers, what did you do that for?" Tony exclaimed, clutching at his arc reactor, bare chested as Bruce had been examining the team's injuries.

Clint just smirked, waiting for Natasha to make her move; honestly, they didn't get a thrill out of scaring people, maybe.

"Get used to it Stark," Natasha said as she appeared at his shoulder, giving Pepper, who had seen her, a smile in thanks for the clothes. The four men jumped again as the red headed assassin grinned at them wolfishly.

"What is it with you assassins? Can't you travel normally? Or at least make some noise, we should get you a cow bell..." Stark was muttering until Natasha rolled her eyes and brushed past him to lean against the wall facing the other Avengers. Barton was already perching on a stool. Both Tony and Natasha ignored the spark that they felt as they touched, Natasha brushing past Tony, neither realising the other felt it. If Stark even tried with that damn cowbell then he would lose important parts of his anatomy, Natasha decided in her head. She hoped by reputation along she wouldn't have to threaten him, it was always fun to watch him get scared at that, but she could always keep that one in reserve for later if she needed it. It would definitely be motivation for him not to do anything.

Bruce finished up with Tony and then turned to the two assassins with a raised eyebrow, silently asking if they were hurt and if they needed help.

"Nah, we're good thanks Bruce," Clint replied.

"Are you sure?" Steve asked, taking over as protective team leader once again. "You both took some nasty falls and hits out there."

Tony looked a bit worried at that as he half turned to Natasha, not wanting to be too obvious but still worried about her.

"We've already cleaned up," Natasha informed them. At the suspicious and concerned looks she continued.

"We've been doing this for years, we know how to treat almost any injury we can get without it being so serious that we have to be hospitalised. And that only happens when one of us had passed out generally."

The others still didn't look convinced so Natasha huffed and showed them the stitches on her hairline and Clint showed his bandaged ankle. They had more injuries than that but they certainly weren't going to admit to anything else. They knew that the team weren't likely to use it against them but it was ingrained into them not to show weakness so they held back the myriad of other wounds and bruises they had sustained.

After inspecting their handiwork, Bruce seemed satisfied and fairly impressed.

"Where did you learn medical skills like these?" he asked.

Natasha and Clint shared a quick glance before they skilfully evaded the question with ease. As much as they had trusted the tea in battle, they knew next to nothing about them really and they weren't about to start sharing their life stories with them.

"You pick things up in the field. When you need to be able to do it to survive, you learn," Clint admitted.

"It's trial and error really. We got better as we went along I think. When we're working we can't rely on anyone else so we have to be able to patch each other and ourselves up and keep going until the job is done," Natasha supplied.

Steve, having been in the army, vaguely understood the sentiment but still winced along with the others at the way they put it. They all grimaced at the thought of what the two had had to do in their time just to survive. The thought of them trying unknown skills on each other because they couldn't aggord to seek medical help made the, want to protect th two assassins even more, even though they were perfectly capable and didn't need protecting.

In a silent but mutual consensus, the six of them, (Pepper had left to sort things out and get some sleep) all moved over to the couches to relax. Once they all say, they seemed to realise how tired they really were and their eyes lids began drooping almost immediately. When they had sat, Tony had manoeuvred himself to keep close to Natasha, he tried to be subtle but she noticed although she wasn't sure why he was doing it, so when they all slumped down, it ended up with Thor and Steve on one couch, Bruce in the lone armchair and Clint, Natasha and Tony slumped on the other couch, Natasha in the middle.

Soon enough all of them had dropped off to sleep but their positions would make for an interesting morning.

* * *

It's only my second attempt at Natasha/Tony so please be nice to me. Hope it's ok and you all like it. Unbeta'd so sorry for any and all mistakes.


	2. The awkward morning after

How they had ended up in those positions in just one nights sleep was mind blowing but it couldn't have been comfortable for any of them. Bruce seemed to have slithered and slipped out of the armchair in his sleep, now with his head lolling back against the seat cushion, with his legs splayed out in front of him.

Thor appeared to have dislodge the super soldier from the couch as he was now flopped on the floor, cuddling Bruce's leg tightly whilst Thor managed to take up the whole couch and some of the floor at the same time which was no mean feat considering the size of the couches Tony had no doubt purchased considering they were much bigger than any normal person would need. But then with six Avengers on them, they almost seemed too small!

Anyway, Thor was clutching at Steve's ankle with a vice like grip so Steve wasn't going anywhere soon. On the other couch, Clint appeared to be taking after a bat more than the hawk his code name suggested. He had turned upside down and was now hanging from the couch by his legs, back on the floor, one arm clutching at Bruce's other leg.

Natasha and Tony looked the comfiest of all of the Avengers, apart from Thor maybe if his floor trembling snores were anything to go by. They had needed up laying down, or rather, Natasha was laying down and Tony's body was laying down whilst his legs hung off the edge of the couch into the archer's stomach. Natasha's legs were half intertwined with Clint's whilst Tony held her to his body and she held onto his arms that were around her.

All in all, they looked pretty peaceful especially considering their positions. That all changed when they started to wake up.

Natasha awoke to the feeling of comfort and peacefulness and, despite the racket of snores, it had been the most relaxing night of sleep she had had in a long time but, she wasn't quite sure what had caused it. Must have been the exhaustion from the battle, she thought, as she slowly woke up and became more conscious. That, however, was when she realised there was a pair of arms holding her tightly to a body behind her and, though she'd end it, it felt good. The person holding her was comforting not suffocating despite how tight they were holding her, like they thought she would run away, and she could feel a spark with them, a slow burn of feelings and emotions like ... no, it couldn't be.

Her eyes flew open as she took a deep breath. She knew that cologne, and only he would put cologne on to fight aliens, or after fighting aliens. But she couldn't be having feelings for Tony Stark. Well, she knew she had feelings for Tony, he'll shed even fallen a bit, a lot, in love with him from as far back as when he knew her as Natalie from legal but he would never return those feelings so she had denied them and pushed them to the back of her mind until now. I mean, if waking up with the man himself holding you tightly wasn't enough to reignite her feelings then what would be.

Now she was thinking about it, she had felt that spark when they had touched just the night before but had ignored it. He didn't show any recognition of it so she assumed he didn't feel anything pushing her feelings back further in the hope that he wouldn't have to reject her because she would never let them show. Unfortunately it hurt just thinking that he didn't like her like that so she wasn't saved the pain, just the embarrassment.

Back to the problem at hand though. Why was she being held to his chest so tightly, like he wanted her to be there, like he liked her too. Natasha allowed herself the moment to wonder, to hope before she quashed it. Nope, he didn't like her like that, would never see her like that. He must just be imagining her to be someone else then. Maybe she better try and move before he woke and it all got awkward. She had to admit though,the view in front of her was cute, the other four Avenger's all linked together in a chain.

As she tried to wriggle free from his grasp, he only held her tighter, drawing her back into his embrace and burning his face in her neck, lips touching her sensitive skin making her bite back a groan, what was he doing to her.

Tony awoke to movement, someone pulling from his arms and, without even thinking,he drew them back to his body and buried his face in their neck, enjoying the comfort and warmth they radiated. Then he paused. Who exactly was he holding to him when the only people that were around the night before were his fellow Avengers. The body he held was definitely female which meant ... well shit! He was definitely for it now. He was cuddling with Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow. And he was enjoying it. Damn!

He thought he had supressed his feelings for her that he had felt since he had met her alias the first time. Then, it had been pure lust but now, he wasn't sure. It was definitely more but he didn't want to think about that right now because she would never like him back, anyway, she was with her partner wasn't she? And she had been trying to leave his arms before he had pulled her back and now she was trying again, ever so gently that belied the force she could have used, she was trying to pry his arms apart so she could move away.

Tony was about to let her this time, to pretend to be sleeping so it wouldn't be awkward when she rejected him but as she moved, her feet that were intertwined with Clint's got stuck and she slipped. She obviously hadn't realised her own link to the chain!

It all happened at once then, legs and arms moving everywhere.

Natasha's movement caused Clint's feet to slip off the couch causing him to land fully with a thud on the ground. Out of instinct he grabbed the closest thing hard which just happened to be Bruce's leg. Bruce woke with a jerk, suddenly trying to control his anger so the Hulk wouldn't make an appearance. The jerk continued the chain of motion as Steve felt the thing he was holding move and shifted to try and keep a grip before he was woken, jolting uprights high moved his ankle suddenly causing Thor to be dragged off his couch and onto the floor with a massive thump that broke off the snores and caused a shout from the man himself causing the others to flinch at the noise.

Meanwhile, as her feet had been caught in Clint's, Natasha's were dragged off the couch with his and, soon enough, gravity kicked in causing her body to follow. Her eyes widened as she went to reach out to stop her fall but another body was falling with her. She landed on her back only for Tony to catch himself on his arms above her from where he had been dragged with her, their lower bodies pressed together, both breathing heavily, their faces only inches apart as they stared into each other's eyes.

The connection and spark between the two was zapping back and forth and they just laid there staring at each other, neither sure exactly what to do.

* * *

Hope it's going ok and that you are enjoying it. My first Natasha/Tony story got a good responce so I'm hoping this one will as well. Unbeta'd so sorry for any mistakes.


	3. Still awkward

Natasha and Tony continued to stare into each other's eyes, getting slightly closer until... Thor's shout broke them from their reverie as they now awake Bruce, Clint and Steve watched on, the latter with a blush on his face for witnessing such an intimate moment between the two who clearly both liked each other. Thor was completely unaware at the moment he had ruined as he searched for the foe that had pulled him off the couch and from his sleep. When he realised there was no foe, he sat back on the couch and watched on, confused as to what had happened and why Tony was on top of Natasha.

Bruce and Clint wanted to glare at the Asgardian but they knew he didn't know what he had done and would only become more and more confused and so louder and louder and they really didn't want that right now, they had just woken up after all and Bruce had only just managed to keep the Hulk at bay. Both of them could sense the connection zapping between their respective best friends and could see the good match that they could make. Secretly they were both rooting for them to kiss and confess their feelings but then Thor had opened his mouth and it had all been ruined.

Now, Tony was scrambling around, trying to get off Natasha quickly, but the more he rushed, the more he ended up more on top of her if that was even possible. It was kinda uncomfortable to watch at that point until Tony finally managed to get up, not making eye contact with anyone. Natasha was the same as she scrabbled off the floor, offering Clint a hand which he accepted. The awkward silence extended until Tony finally cleared his throat and asked if anyone wanted breakfast.

They all agreed and found themselves sat quietly around the bar eating take out breakfast as Tony had nothing in to eat, although, after the battle that they had just been through, he could be forgiven for forgetting to buy in groceries although they had a feeling that that wasn't the reason a don that he had just forgotten! seemed like a more Tony Stark thing to do to them.

All throughout breakfast, Tony and Natasha avoided contact, both sitting as far away from each other as they could, at opposite ends of the bar to each other, hoping that it would avoid another awkward situation that would possibly lead to the truth about their feelings escaping. The uncomfortable scene this morning had been enough of a close call for both of them and they were planning on using distance to control their thoughts and feelings to prevent any lapses of judgement.

Neither was aware of the others feelings, although how they could not be after what had almost happened that morning was nearly imposssible. Trust two of the smartest people alive who were at the top of their respective fields to be so damn ignorant when it came to their own feelings and to the feelings of others.

They were both also avoiding eye contact with became difficult when someone spoke and they both looked in from either end of the bar and there was that moment when they almost were looking at each other before they would catch themselves and look away. To Bruce and Clint, it was amusing to watch if not frustrating and they wished they could just say something but they didn't want to alert the others and make it more uncomfortable for the pair, knowing it would make both of them clam up, Tony resorting to humour and snark and Natasha resorting to silence and sharp words, and that would just make things worse. No, things had to be done more subtly than that.

Clint watched as his partner made sure to avoid contact of any kind with Tony. If Clint hadn't known her better, he would have thought that she had had a blush on her face when she and Tony scrambled to get up but even Clint knew that this was Natahsa Romanoff they were talking about. She didn't do blushing but then again, she didn't do falling in love either but Clint was sure that she had fallen for Tony just as hard as the billionaire had fallen for her.

Their little episode had compounded that thought for Clint and Bruce alike. If they had just been friends, they would have just laughed it off with a few jokes and threats but Natasha hadn't even uttered one threat to Tony, something so out of the ordinary that it convinced them there was something going on between the engineer and the spy. Instead of laughing it off, they had been totally focused on putting space between themselves and, if Thor hadn't have interrupted at the worst moment, they would have kissed. They had been totally unaware of their surrounding, very unusual for them, and the only thing to make them like that was if they were caught up on their feelings and emotions.

Also, Clint knew his partner well and had known since she had returned from her first mission as Natalie Rushman, personal assistant to Tony Stark, that she had fallen for the billionaire. Despite all her harsh words and criticism, they lacked their usual bite and there was a slight, almost unnoticeable unless you were trained to hear it, softened to her voice that suggested her fondness for the man. Clint was absolutely fine with that. He and Natasha wee just friends and, despite the image he projected, Tony was a good man and would be good for Natasha. In fact, Clint was more than fine with it, he was determined to make it happen.

Bruce hadn't known Tony for long, but in the time that he had, they had become fast friends and now, Bruce would say he was his best friend. Bruce could see that Tony had fallen deeply in love with Natasha at some point in the past and was denying it to himself and everyone around him. Bruce wanted to see the man happy though as he clearly wasn't at the moment, and if that meant he was happy when he was with Natasha, then maybe Bruce might have to give him a little push as he clearly was not going to manage it on his own.

Bruce wasn't normally one to meddle in affairs like this but the man had been good to him in such a short space of time knowing him and had shown so much faith in him that Bruce wished to repay him somehow. And what do you get the man who has every material thing he could need, well, something immaterial that he desperately wants but won't go after himself. Bruce was going to give them a push.

Clint was very observant. He knew that Bruce was thinking the same things as him, both planning on setting Tony and Natasha up, and he decided that it may be a good idea for them to team up. Maybe then they would be more successful because if Natasha caught on and found out what they were doing, well, there was no telling what she would do to them. Maybe there was safety in numbers of sorts.

Forming a matchmaking team would have to wait though as the Avenegrs had to send Thor and Loki back to Asgard very soon and had to get going.

* * *

Thor! You had to interrupt the Tony/Natasha moment! This one's a tiny bit shorter than the other chapters but it seemed like a good place to stop so I hope you all don't mind. Unbeta'd and written late at night so sorry for the mistakes!


	4. And it begins

It didn't take long to send the two princes back to their homeland and for the others to disperse into the distance. That was a stunt done to trick the council so that they wouldn't know where they were if they wanted to come after them. The Avengers knew that the council didn't like them and thought that they were a waste of time and, as a consequence, would likely use them as the fall guys to blame for problems and damage caused. Because of that, it didn't make sense to split up, but instead, stick together so that they could protect each other if necessary. Besides, none of them really had anywhere to go or anything to do and two of them had a plan to carry out anyway.

They all convened back at the formerly Stark Tower, now Avengers Tower, although Natasha was more reluctant. She had wanted to take off to avoid the awkwardness around Tony but Clint had dragged her back with him to the tower with excuses and guilt trips. So, she found herself back in the tower she had been undercover in not all that long ago, in fairly close proximity to the man she had fallen for at that time and still loved, even when she shouldn't and couldn't. Damn Clint and his puppy dog eyes!

Tony had given the token grumbles to the invasion of his tower by what remained of the Avengers but secretly he was glad. It was such a big space and it could get pretty lonely when it was just him and occasionally Pepper, although she was so busy most of the time that she often didn't have time to spend much of her time there with him. He would never admit that of course as he was Tony Stark and he didn't need anyone because that would be a weakness and his father had taught him better than that. Damn his father and his stupid lessons!

The five, Thor had yet to return, co inhabited the space peacefully for the first week, Bruce and Tony mainly in the labs most of the time with the other three training a lot and helping Steve catch up on what he had missed. The assassins were brighter than people have them credit for and could cover most of Steve's questions, although at times Natasha had to stop Clint from giving Steve an answer that he probably didn't want to hear. Clint could be very mischievous when he wanted to be and Natasha was quite worn out from keeping him in check whilst simultaneously trying to answer Steve in a way that wouldn't scare the poor soldier for the rest of his life, as Clint seemed to be doing. She should just be thankful that Tony wasn't there as well or there would be no hope whatsoever for the man!

Steve was just grateful for the help. He had known things would get more complex but the speed at which things had changed must have been very quick because Steve was completely out of his depth and struggling to catch up and understand. The assassins were like a lifeline to him,help with a world of things he just didn't understand,even if Clint did keep starting sentences before Natasha cut him off with a glare before telling Steve that maybe he didn't want to know or that maybe he should look it up himself. Sometimes, she took pity on him and explained it herself and Steve was left floundering and wondering how much worse it could have got if Clint had explained it. By the smirk on his face and Natasha's disapproving look, Steve had a feeling the answer to that question was much much worse!

In that week, though, very little had been done to get Tony and Natasha together and Clint was determined to remedy that. He knew that Bruce was always getting a cup of tea in the kitchen before going down to the labs when there was no one else in the kitchen and Clint decided that was the perfect time to strike.

Slipping unnoticed into the kitchen, he perched on the counter opposite a rice, swinging his legs as he waited for the doctor to notice him there. To his credit, Bruce only showed slight surprise when he turned around to find the archer sat behind him watching him and not a drop of tea was spilled nor was the Hulk released which was a relief for everyone really,not that they knew that there had ever been a threat of that. Seemed Bruce really did have a lid on it as he said he did.

"Clint," the doctor greeted calmly. "Can I help you with something?"

The glint in Clint's eyes really should have worried Bruce. It reminded him vaguely of a naughty child that had some kind of plan that would cause all kinds of untold havoc and mayhem, a child that was just waiting for the right time a a partner in crime to release the mayhem. And he would bet that he was that partner in crime.

Clint cut straight to the chase. "Wanna help me set up Tony and Natasha?" he asked.

Bruce smiled slightly, so someone else had noticed and had the same plan as he did. He had been right about the partner in crime thing as well. He had thought Clint would have noticed and a helping hand could be good to help him with his plan, especially one that knew Natasha a lot better than he did himself.

"Definitely," Bruce answered, smirking into his tea. "Do you have any plans?"

Yep, that glint in his eye definitely should bother Bruce more than it did.

"Several," Clint replied with an identical if slightly more mischievous smirk. "And a last resort. You?"

Bruce just nodded in reply, thinking of all those possible ideas he had stored up and some that he had even jotted around and hidden under his bed in his room that Tony had given him so that they wouldn't be found if someone looked in there. Not the most innovative hiding place, he knew but he had been just trying to hide them from view quickly and it had been the first place he had thought of given that he had been sat on the bed at the time. All those possible ideas that they could make work, in the hope that they would help the couple get together.

Clint had also had a week to come up with plenty of plans and ideas, especially in the time that he was sitting listening to Natasha try and teach Steve about all those years he had missed on ice, occasionally butting in to add something. He had been relegated to less helping, more keeping his mouth shut when he repeatedly nearly scared the captain before Natasha saved him (what?! it was fun!) and so, even though he still sat with the, and helped on occasion, he had plenty of time to dream up plans of how they could get the two together.

That was possibly the first sign that Natasha and Tony should have been very very scared. Clint's imagination was a dangerous and scary place at times and he had had a habit of coming up with some incredibly hair brained schemes. Normally Natasha would be there to reign him in and stop the potential damage if it was out of hand but, this time, she would have no clue what was going on. Maybe _**everyone**_ should be incredibly worried!

Tony and Natasha wouldn't know what had hit them.

* * *

Sorry, I know not much happened but I didn't want to jump in with one of the plans as it seemed like the perfect ending. Hope you liked mischievous Clint and Bruce getting there as well! Written very late at night and unbeta'd so sorry for the mistakes that will be throughout the whole chapter!


	5. Tea and tricking

They had chosen one of Bruce's simpler plans first, just to get the lay of the land and work out what they were up against, and yes, they were treating it like a covert mission, especially because they would be in big trouble if Natasha found out and she could be very scary when she wanted to be.

Both Bruce and Clint just happened to suggest a drink to Tony and Natasha respectively at, coincidentally of course, the same time and then both had forgotten something and had gone to retrieve it. Natasha and Tony had unknowingly walked into the kitchen at the same time, before nearly running into each other, both having been deep in thoughts about projects for Tony and ways to teach Steve for Natasha.

Both froze, unsure of what to do as Bruce and Clint secretly watched on. It wasn't that they hadn't been around each other but it was the first time that the two had been alone together which seemed to make a big difference. The tension and electricity between the two could be felt from as far away as Clint and Bruce's hiding place but it appeared neither Natasha nor Tony was going to do anything about it. The matchmakers couldn't work out why the two were so blind to the others feelings.

It became clear that their plan wasn't going to work when Natasha started to back away and leave. That was their signal to move and, first Clint, then Bruce walked towards the kitchen. Clint reached the kitchen just as Natasha was in the doorway, effectively stopping her in her tracks.

"Thought you were going to make us some tea," Clint said casually, wandering into the kitchen and taking a seat at the breakfast bar.

Just then, Bruce walked in and Clint urged to greet him.

"Bruce, you've got to try some of Nat's tea. It's great," he told his fellow plotter.

Bruce then just had to try some and Tony looked intrigued from where he was now sat with his mug of coffee in one of his hands, tablet in the other.

Natasha rolled her eyes but set about making it for them all, knowing that Clint wouldn't let up until she had done so. She could understand him wanting Bruce to try it though as he was often drinking tea and it was likely to be his kind of thing. The repetitive and familiar motions that came with making the recipe she had learned when she was very young, one of the only things she did remember from her childhood before the red room, were soothing and settled her nerves allowing her to be calm and functioning even though Tony was just there.

She did have to dig through the cupboards a bit to find the nicer cups rather than using the big clunky mugs that were used for coffee. If they were to have her tea, t was going to be the way it should be served not in the wrong mug. Tea went in delicate cup and was sipped not gulped down like coffee was. It was savoured.

After what seems like an age of chit chat though, mainly between the guys and she was in her own world at that moment, the team was ready and, with a final squeeze of lemon juice, she passed a cup to all three of the men, knowing that Tony would complain if she left him out and that he would probably like to try it, even if she wasn't exactly expecting him to like it, after all, he lived on coffee the whole time anyway. Before passing the cups around, though, Natasha had tried the tea to see if it was up to her satisfaction, a habit she ahd picked up when trying to remember and perfect the recipient, piecing together fractured memories had been hard but she knew the taste like it was the last thing she had only just drunk. Trial and error had then been her way of getting the recipe just right.

Clint had had her tea many times before and so was sipping at the cup as so as it was passed to him, savouring the flavours that had become familiar over the time he had known the spy. It tended to be her preferred drink but only if she made it herself. She had, however, given him the recipe, only a year back, and taught him how to make it, a big sign of trust and friendship when it came to Natasha. She still said he wasn't quite there in terms of perfecting it yet but at least she drank it when he made it now. The first time he had tried to make it on his own, she had taken one sip and then poured the rest down the sink. She and very exacting tastes when it came to how her tea was made.

Bruce and Tony were a little more tentative with drinking their tea, as people often were when trying something aroma was good though in Bruce's opinion and he was willing to give it a go. Taking a sip, his eyes widened.

"Wow," he said. "Natasha that's incredible."

Natasha ducked her head slightly at the compliment and thanked Bruce before the three looked at Tony, him being the only one to have not tried it yet.

Taking a sip, Tony was surprised at just how good it tasted, and he carried on drinking his until he had drained the cup. The others were surprised at how much he seemed to have enjoyed it and Natasha poured him another cup full silently, the communication asking for another having been non verbal as well. Just when Bruce and Clint though that they might be getting somewhere and that Tony and Natasha were going to get over their stupidity, something seemed to spook Natasha.

Maybe it was the sudden realisation of her proximity to Tony or maybe it was the fact that they had been staring into each other's eyes, but she backed right away again and avoided eye contact. Damn, Clint thought. So close yet so far.

Soon enough, both Natasha and Tony had excused themselves separately and gone back to what they had been doing before their impromptu drinks break leaving Bruce and Clint to curse the fact that their plan hadn't worked and to continue scheming over a fantastic pot of tea. At least one thing had come out of this plan, a great pot of tea to help them come up with ideas and the knowledge that Natasha and here best tea they'd ever tasted.

* * *

So the first plan failed but Bruce and Clint have plenty more up their sleeves and some great tea to drink. Sorry if Natasha seems OCC but I see her as always in control but human so maybe she has some lapses in her cold hard facade. Unbeta'd and I'm very tired so sorry for all the mistakes.


	6. Movie night

Natasha didn't know what was wrong with her. She was a professional spy and assassin for heavens sake, with masks that could fool the best in the business but whenever she was around one Tony Stark, it was like all of her training melted away and she was a giddy, blushing schoolgirl with a crush. She needed to pick her dignity and control up from the floor where she must had lost it and get her act together before Tony cottoned on and she made an even bigger fool out of herself when he had to reject her.

She didn't know what it was that she had to do though. She was fine before she saw him but, as soon as they were alone or they were in close proximity, she seemed to lose her mind, all of her senses on hyper alert. But it stopped now. Natasha wasn't going to make a fool out of herself for any longer, she just had to focus on her control and act as normally as possible. Avoiding situations with Tony in would also be helpful, but even in a tower s big as this one, she wasn't going to be able to avoid him forever. No, she had to deal with her problems and regain her impassive mask before anyone caught on to her feelings and embarrassed her further.

Since the failure of their fist attempt of setting the spy and engineer up, Bruce and Clint had become more resolved in their efforts to succeed. They had been first hand witnesses to the connection between the two and the moment they almost shared before Natasha wimped out. Clint had never seen Natasha acting like this but he had a feeling he knew why. In the red room, she had been trained in just about every fighting style there was and with a myriad of different weapons but there was one thing that they had never taught her and she had never had the time to learn it herself, being busy being a master assassin and all.

She had had less of a childhood than he had and she didn't know what to do with her feelings. Normally, she would seduce a man and that would be it, no feelings involved, so when she had fallen for Tony, and Clint had seen her when it happened so he knew this, she had been stumped. So, at first, she had been able to push those feelings away, thinking that if she ignored them then maybe they would just go away and leave her alone. She didn't know that with love and feelings like that, they didn't just go away on will. Natasha, never having been taught that or what the feeling were, didn't know how to deal with them as so, the longer it went on without her telling anyone, the more they drove her crazy, not knowing what to do or how to hide them.

Normally, she could hide her feelings no problems whatsoever, but these feelings were so much stronger than any she had ever experienced before and so she had become a little crazy with it all. Clint knew that now, she would be wondering what was going on with her and steeling her mask even more to block people out. That meant that they needed to exact their next plan quickly before she shut them all off.

It began with Clint's ever so subtle, he could do subtle when he needed to, suggestion to Steve about having a movie night. The Captain had looked confused but not adverse. Clint had dropped hints about team bonding and catching up on movies he had missed and then, being a master of manipulation, made Steve think it was all his own idea as the Captain to start a team movie night on Friday evenings, which just happened to be that evening. Hopefully, with the idea coming from Steve, Tony and Natasha wouldn't realise they were being set up. Clint would have been more worried about Natasha figuring it out but she was so preoccupied with hiding her feelings and trying to work out what was wrong with her that he wasn't so bothered.

Bruce's role, apart from helping in the planning, was to make sure that Tony made it out of the labs and to the team area to see the films and didn't just get caught up in his lab working all evening again. He was getting much better at being able to leave things, if only for a couple of ours, and take a break for food or sleep, but he still couldn't be completely trusted not to get so immersed that he forgot the time and just didn't turn up. That would ruin all their plans so Clint and Bruce had devised that scheme to make sure it didn't happen.

Steve had already told all of them that it was basically mandatory and they had to turn up in his ever so nice, guilt tripping way of his, and so everyone had agreed to go. When it reached the agreed time of 7pm, it found Steve, Clint and Bruce already sat in the common area, chairs and a couch set up in front of Tony's massive TV screen, with pizzas and beers on the table, waiting for the others to arrive.

Both Clint and Bruce had managed to manipulate the seating so that both Steve and Bruce took up the only two chairs available and Clint was at one end of the couch, leaving only two spaces on the couch for Natasha and Tony, right next to each other as the matchmakers had planned it. Now all thy needed was for Natasha and Tony to actually turn up.

The first out of the pair to arrive was actually Tony and he looked fairly clean and not covered in grease and oil so the guys figured he must have drawn himself away from his lab long enough to manage to take a shower, which they were very thankful for! He took the space on the other end of the couch, grabbing himself a beer and a slice of pizza.

Not long later, Natasha walked in from the elevator, obviously coming from a different floor, but no one had seen her for a while so they didn't know where she had been. Natasha had actually been using an age old relaxation technique, using the rhythmic motions of throwing knives at dummies (no, not her partner and her fellow Avengers, the dead stuffed mannequin kind) and combining dance with it. It was quite incredible to watch, she had been told, but she found it more relaxing when she was alone, just the sound of knives setting deep into their targets with thumps.

It had helped calm her and relax her, and she felt a lot better about spending the evening with the team, and around Tony. Well, she had been until she walked in and saw everyone waiting for her, the only seat left being between Clint and Tony on the couch. She was just about to grab a chair from elsewhere to pull up when Clint spotted her and stopped her in her tracks.

"Hey Nat, come sit down," he called patting the space on the couch next to him. Natasha hesitated but she didn't have a good reason not to be sat so close to Tony. The only thing she could think about, however, was the last time she had ended up sat next to him on the couch and how they had woken up.

Eventually Natasha sat down on the couch but she was closer to Clint than she was Tony and her mask was undeniably up. They sat through several films, explaining bits and pieces to Steve along to way and, slowly, Natasha relaxed back into the couch, half leaning against Tony, her feet thrown across Clint's legs. Normally when they were watching films together, Natasha ended up sprawled across the couch with her feet in Clint's lap and, for all his protests, Clint didn't mind that much. It showed she trusted him for her to be that relaxed.

Tony didn't seem to mind the position as his arm that had been slung over the back of the couch dropped to her shoulder lightly. They were all dozing by the end of the film, apart from Steve who was paying very close attention so he didn't miss anything, and Natasha and Tony actually seemed relaxed and comfortable in each others presence. Maybe Clint and Bruce were getting somewhere. New plan, baby steps. Pushing them too hard wasn't a good idea given who they were dealing with, they would just keep engineering situations when they had to be around and close to each other and hope that they managed to sort the rest of it out themselves.

* * *

So now Clint and Bruce have succeeded a little bit, are Natasha and Tony going to become relaxed enough with each other to admit their feelings or will the matchmakers need to be more forceful in their approach? Unbeta'd so sorry for any and all mistakes.


	7. Dinner for two, or three?

Steve was starting to get confused and a little suspicious. Any time Clint and Bruce were together in a room they seemed to be planning something, talking quietly in hushed voices and then when either, Tony or Natasha walked in, the conversation suspiciously stopped or changed and became louder again so they weren't whispering. How Natasha and Tony weren't suspicious was a miracle really and Steve was convinced it had something to do with the two of them, he just had to figure out what it was now.

Clint and Bruce were sat at the bar discussing their next plan, so consumed by the details that they didn't notice Steve sitting down next to them until it was too late.

"So," Steve said conversationally when they fell silent and exchanged worried looks, "You're trying to set up Tony and Natasha then."

"Uh, yeah," Clint answered. Both Clint and Bruce were worried Steve wouldn't approve or would tell Tony or Natasha what was going on and then both of them would be dead and their plan would fail and they were determined to help those two find happiness.

"Cool," Steve replied surprising both of them. "They're good for each other and they obviously like each other." So the captain wasn't as oblivious as people said he could be. "So, what's the plan then?" he asked.

Considering the captain appeared to be with them on this one, Bruce and Clint silently agreed to let him in on the plan. They needed him for this one anyway.

"Well our next step was to get them to have dinner together alone but we know they wont go for it initially so we have a plan. We have a plan though. We were gong to tell them that we were all going to have dinner together but you and me," Clint said to Steve, "Aren't going to be able to make it. Make up an excuse like having to go to a base for something or having plans and then Bruce is going to join them to start with so they don't get too suspicious and then he is going to get called away for some results that are volatile and time sensitive and have to leave and voilà! Dinner alone. You can have some actual test so that if Tony checks with you he wont catch you out right?" Clint asked Bruce.

"Yep, I was going to start something now that could fit the bill perfectly so I guess I'll get going and see you tomorrow. You better start thinking up some excuses." Bruce left them to get on with his science leaving Steve and Clint sat at the bar brainstorming.

"Wait, I've got something," Clint said. "I have an apartment across town that I need to check up on at some point anyway and you could come with me and we could go look at the area you used to live in to look for some of your old sites. If anyone else asks you are helping me with something in my apartment and then I'm dong you a favour."

Steve gave him a look that said it wasn't convincing but honestly, he couldn't really come up with any better. He wasn't used to having to lie to his teammates, even if this was for their own good, and developing lies just wasn't his forte. Saying that, neither could use S.H.I.E.L.D as an excuse as Natasha could easily check up on it and they needed something so Steve reluctantly agreed on the terms that Clint had to sell it to Natasha. If Steve tried to tell her it, she'd see through his lie within minutes.

Just at that moment, they were joined by Natasha who greeted them and then sat on a stool next to Clint.

"I just bumped into Bruce," she started, "And he said something about team dinner tonight. Do you know anything about that?"

"Oh yeah," Clint jumped in before Steve could speak, knowing he could lie a lot better than Steve could. "But we already have plans for tonight so I guess you guys will have to eat without us."

Natasha looked curious. "Where are you going?"

"I have to check up on my apartment and then Steve and I are going to check out some of his old haunts. He's helping me out with some bits and pieces in my apartment and then in return, I'm helping him look for some places he wants to go to." It sounded weak even to his ears but, despite the suspicion in her face, Natasha accepted the excuse, deciding if they wanted to keep secrets then they would tell her eventually, and if not then she could always force it out of them!

Steve and Clint both sighed in relief when Natasha wandered off and Clint let his head fall onto the bar.

"I hate lying to her," he admitted. "She always knows and I hate having to do it."

Steve commiserated Clint. "When she and Tony are together though, she'll thank you for it."

"Yeah," Clint agreed. "I'm just worried about what she's going to do to us in the mean time!"

Steve winced at that comment before deciding it may be better off for them if they escaped now and got out of the way of Natasha's watching eye. Heading out for the day, they planned to actually do what they said they were going to do just in case.

It got to the evening and it found Bruce, Tony and Natasha in the kitchen, Bruce and Natasha having cooked up a quick dinner between the with plenty of extras for the guys when they got home if they wanted it.

They all sat down around one end of the massive dining table that Tony had with Bruce at the head of the table and Natasha and Tony on either side of him, facing each other.

They ate in comfortable, companionable silence for a while before they were interrupted by an incessant beeping that emanated from Bruce's pocket. Looking apologetic, he drew the device out and, as soon as he read the message on the screen, was standing.

"I'm sorry guys, I have to go. Results just come in, time sensitive ones .. I ... do you mind?"

"No, no, that's fine," Natasha said, knowing how important it was to Bruce.

Tony started to stand whilst saying, "I can help ..."

"Oh, no, I don't need any help thanks Tony but it's just time sensitive so I'm just going to..." Bruce hurried out, muttering under his breath as he went about tests and such.

"And then there were two," Natasha joked lightly causing Tony to chuckle.

They continued to eat quietly and Natasha kept a light mask on her face, finally feeling like she had control over her feelings and her masks around Tony and being very glad of the fact. Dinner was going well and light conversation started, making Natasha smile and laugh slightly. Tony looked a bit taken aback when she laughed and she noticed his stunned impression.

"I've never heard you laugh like that before," Tony commented absently.

"I've laughed before," Natasha said, not quite understanding.

"Yeah, not as you though," Tony replied, staring deeply at her. "Not a real laugh. It's nice. I like it. You should laugh more often."

Natasha looked for any sign of humour or jokes on his face but was shocked when she couldn't see any. He actually meant it; his face was dead serious but had a soft edge. The two were staring into each others eyes again and for once were more comfortable with it, lost in the other's eyes.

Both simultaneously begun to lean in towards each other, with no control over their bodies, just naturally being drawn to the other. When they were just inches apart, they were started apart by a loud banging noise. They withdrew like they had been burnt and started towards the direction the noise had emanated from. There, in the doorway, stood Thor, beaming victoriously at them, seemingly unaware as to what he had interrupted.

"Greetings friends," he said rather loudly, causing the other two to wince. As he moved, they discovered the cause of the loud bang. It appeared in his excitement to get to them, Thor had thrown the door open with much more force than necessary as it was now buried in the wall. Tony groaned as he though of how to repair that one.

Natasha politely served Thor a plate of food up and they were treated to stories of Asgard over dinner but both Natasha and Tony were wondering and wishing they had found out what would have happened if Thor hadn't arrived.

* * *

Thor's timing is appalling! The guys aren't going to be impressed that their plan has been ruined again. Hope you like this one. Again it's unbeta'd so sorry for the mistakes. I'm sorry that both Natasha and Tony seem OCC, the story seems to have progressed this way.


	8. A small mix up

Clint, Bruce and Steve were all fuming. Once again Thor had foiled a moment that could have caused Natasha and Tony to end up getting together and they were running out of ideas. They had tried several smaller ideas and had some success in getting the pair closer to each other which had been good. Clint had also been dropping not so subtle hints at Natasha that maybe Tony would be good for her and Bruce had been doing the same with Tony although neither had had much success as they has been mostly brushed off and dinner had been a big idea that could have sparked something but Thor had barged in and ruined it. It wasn't that they weren't pleased to see Thor but he couldn't have chosen a worse time in their opinion to barge in.

They had stolen, borrowed if anyone asked, the security footage from JARVIS who seemed to approve of their attempts to step up his creator and the ex-Russian spy and wasn't letting Tony know what was going on, not reporting the loss of footage. The guys had watched it over again, with Clint translating from his lip reading to tell them what was going on, and they had seen how close they had been to succeeding and for the lying and danger they had put themselves in if Natasha figured it out to all be worth it before it was all ruined. Thor wasn't quite sure why he was getting three vicious glares from the other three Avengers, he hadn't been back long enough to do anything wrong yet had he?

Another planning meeting was held between Bruce and Clint, with Steve running interference for them with Natasha, asking her some more questions that he actually needed to answer to, so that they would have time to get a new plan in place. The main problem for them now though, was that they were running out of ideas. It shocked them how many plans and ideas they had burned through and used already only to fail and they were seriously drawing a blank on any new ideas. Everything they came up with wasn't subtle enough or just plain wouldn't work and they were getting worried that they would fail. Then, they realised whet day it was and identical smirks grew on their faces as a plan formulated.

If living with Tony Stark taught them one thing, it was that he was not a fan of housework or chores, preferring to live in a mess than spend any of his time cleaning it up. His time was precious after all and he could have invented something life changing in the time it would have taken him to do any cleaning. Unfortunatly, with that method of doing things and more people living in the tower, the mess built up in record speeds until they had to do something about it. Many different methods and cleaning days had been established much to Tony's chagrin but there was one rather successful introduction that was taking place that day.

Washing day was great. With their jobs and hobbies, dirty clothes piled up and so one day a week or so, sometimes longer depending upon what the levels of dirty clotes were like, a laundry day would be called and everyone would set out to clean all their clothes. Today was such day and they had the perfect idea.

Laundry day was full of mishaps that day. First, Thor managed to still water all down Natasha's front, and just about escaped with his life. He most definitely hadn't been pushed though, well, maybe a little but Clint was admitting to nothing even under Thor's confused looks. Natasha white t-shirt was soaked though and very see through and clingy and she looked murderous but that didn't stop Tony's eyes darkening and him having to forcibly make himself look away time after time. It was hard to tell if Natasha noticed although she stopped trying to attack Thor so odds were that she had and maybe she didn't mind quite so much now that Tony had noticed. Clint smirked at Bruce for that but he quickly schooled his features as Natasha was looking his way. She frowned slightly as though she had noticed something but brushed it off.

By far the biggest incident, however, was when the washing was done and it had been sorted into piles to go to each different persons room.

Natasha was tucking clothes away when she came across some things that weren't hers. Confused, she frowned and held them up, wondering whose washing she had ended up with and why she had ended up with it. She knew that Bruce and Clint had been sorting the clothing out into piles. How had they ended up getting it wrong she didn't know but everyone makes mistakes, Natasha thought.

She was just about to march down to the common floor and find out whose the boxers were when there was knock on her door. Who would be knocking on her door now, she wondered. Heading over to the door, Natasha opened it and was shocked to see Tony stood in her door. What shocked her more was the fact that Tony looked a little embarrassed stood there.

"Ugh, um, " he muttered, "I think I have something that belongs to you."

Natasha was confused. Why did he seem so ... shy? That wasn't like the Tony Stark that she knew but it was nice, kinda cute as well. No! She did not just think of Tony Stark as cute! Damn! She was in big trouble now. Tony still looked a bit awkward in her doorway so she invited him in.

Tony wasn't sure how it had happened, they separated out their washing so that they only ended up with their own stuff and not anyone else's and yet here he was, waiting to give Natasha her clothes back, more specifically her underwear! Normally he would have been his confident, cocky self with something like this and said something that would probably get him a slap. He would do that with anyone but her though. Tony didn't know why Natasha was so special, well that was a lie actually. He knew alright. He had fallen in love with her, that's what made her different and why the fact that he was now holding her skimpy bras and panties his hand for her to take was awkward, especially considering how much the thought of her in just them was turning him on.

Natasha had a mini realisation as she stared at her underwear in Tony's hand.

"Hang on a minute," she said, leaving Tony still stood there with her underwear in his hand. Why couldn't she just take her stuff and let him go so he could try and rid his mind of the images that had been provided to him before he did something he shouldn't like kiss her. She returned a minute later with the boxers she had found in hand.

"These wouldn't be yours by any chance would they?" Natasha asked.

Tony frowned as he realised that they were actually his and the fact that Natasha was holding and had seen his underwear. "Yeah," he said. "But I didn't put them with your stuff."

"I know," Natasha said. "I think we are being set up."

* * *

So Natasha has finally picked up on the fact that they were being set up together, although the guys were less than subtle about it. What will she and Tony do now that they know, or think they know, and what will the guys do in the face of the danger that is an angry Natasha Romanoff? Unbeta'd so sorry for the mistakes.


	9. Uh oh!

_Previously..._

_"I think we are being set up."_

Clint, Bruce and Steve had been watching the scene through the cameras in her suite that Natasha had disabled but JARVIS had turned on this once just for them, he wanted to help them get Tony and Natasha together, and had seen Natasha's realisation. They had been joined by Thor who had wanted to know what was going on and it had all been explained to him, including the times he had messed up their plans or moments between the pair. Thor was suitably abashed and wanted to help out as he too thought that they were good together and he wanted to make up for messing up the plans of his friends. Clint, Bruce and Steve were just glad for the extra help as they were running out of ideas and ways to get the stubborn two together. To be honest, despite their resolutions, they were close to giving up to save their lives as they were getting dangerously obvious and Natasha would kill them.

And then she worked it out. They should have known really. Natasha was very smart and could tell when something was up and she had been suspicious for a while now. It had only been a matter of time before she worked it out but the men had been hoping it would have been later rather than sooner and that she would have already been with Tony so that they could say they succeeded. Also that may have taken her anger away a bit, but now, if they weren't quick about it, they were about to face the full force of her anger.

Seeing the look on her face, Clint said, "Oh shit!" and let his head fall onto the table in front of them with a thump.

"She's going to kill us, isn't she?" Steve asked, fearing for his life at this point even though he hadn't been in on it from the start.

Bruce just groaned and put his face in his hands, trying hard not to hulk out at the thought of what was to come. Thor just looked confused at what was going on and why everyone looked so terrified.

"What have we to fear friends?" Thor asked only to be met with 'Really?!' stares and groans.

"You didn't just ask that man," Clint said, shaking his head at the oblivious demi-god. Clint and Bruce made eye contact for a moment before a thought appeared in both their minds at the same time.

"The last resort," they both muttered at the same time drawing odd looks from the other two.

* * *

"So you mean to tell me that they've been trying to set the two of us up for the last few weeks?" Tony asked, confused as to what he was being old. I mean, he had had some doubts but he never actually thought that they would do it to them. Natasha didn't seem completely opposed to the idea so maybe ... Tony was broken from his thoughts by Natasha rushing towards the door, muttering under her breath. Eyes widening, Tony followed, ready to laugh at the other Avengers getting their comeuppance for messing with the Black Widow.

* * *

The four guys were hurrying along a corridor when a chilling voice stopped them dead in their tracks.

"Going somewhere?" Natasha asked in a voice that sent chills through the bodies of the four men. She was leant casually up against the wall in front of them and, when they turned around, they discovered that Tony was behind them. The group shifted subtly so that Thor was at the front with Bruce next and Clint and Steve at the back, furthest away from Natasha.

"I'm sorry," Clint said, addressing both Natasha and Tony. "It's for your own good." Natasha and Tony were both confused by that comment and even more confused when Clint shouted, "Now!"

They had both been on their guard but neither had expected what was to come, which had, incidentally, been the idea of the plan and so the reason that it was a success. It was all over so quickly that Natasha and Tony didn't even have time to do anything. They had never expected this of their teammates or else they would have been prepared.

Thor surged forwards towards Natasha at the same time as Steve and Clint surged toward Tony. Bruce quickly got out of the way, opening a door off to the side of the corridor. Due to the surprise, Thor was able to snatch Natasha off her feet and gently deposit her inside the room that Bruce had opened the door to. Steve and Clint proved to be a very successful and efficient team, Steve grabbing Tony's torso and securing his arms whilst Clint grabbed his legs. AT the same time as Thor was moving Natasha, they moved Tony and put him into the room just after Natasha was placed in there.

Bruce slammed the door shut when both were inside, turning on the light and the locked the door firmly. The four men breathed a massive sigh of relief that it had all gone to plan and then continued on to the next part of the last resort that had been explained quickly to Thor and Steve.

"It's for your own good," Clint repeated, his voice coming from the vent above the storage room that they had put Natasha and Tony in. The four had already moved everything out of it so that there was more space and nothing the two could use as weapons.

"I'm going to kill you Barton," came Natasha's angry and threatening voice from below where he was laid in the vent.

"Yeah, yeah, you'll thank me later Tash," he replied before being prompted to get on with it in his comms device that they were using to communicate with now that Clint was separated from them.

"As you now know, we have been trying to set you two up for a while now to little success but that's not the point. We know that you like each other and, frankly, the unresolved sexual tension is suffocating at the moment so we aren't going to let you out until you get your acts together, your heads out of your arses and admit your feelings. And don't even think about trying to escape because we will just catch you and throw you back in there and, so help me, I will drug you if I have to. We're fed up of you two dancing around your feelings. We have all day and all the exits covered so it's in your own best interests to start talking."

"J," Tony called. "A little help would be nice."

"I'm sorry sir, I agree with Agent Barton, it's for your own good," JARVIS replied.

"Traitor," Tony muttered under his breath

Natasha was clearly fuming, Tony could tell, and, in a way, he was a bit. Their friends were interfering in something that they had no right to interfere in, it was between him and Natasha. He could see why they did it though. The chances of them having actually talked about it if left on their own was zero to none and in a way he was a little grateful. Maybe this was a chance to get Natasha, I mean, the others seemed to think that she killed him as well so maybe there was a chance...

Natasha wasn't sure what to do next. She knew that Clint wasn't lying and that their chances of escaping without being let out were minimal and they weren't going to be let out until they talked. The only problem with that was that Natasha really didn't want to have to talk. She liked Tony, yeah, she just wasn't sure that he liked her back and she wasn't going to put her feelings out there only to get shot down painfully in front of the other Avengers. Looks like they were stuck.

* * *

They have them cornered but will they admit their feelings for each other. Next chapter is the last one so I hope you guys have enjoyed this story. Unbeta'd so sorry for any mistakes that I have made when writing this.


	10. Payback

There was a long few minutes of silence before an uncomfortable Tony started to fidget about and, unconsciously, wriggled closer to Natasha, decreasing the space between them in the small space they were in anyway.

When his legs brushed hers, they both felt the spark again and looked into each other's eyes. They were sat opposite each other, both leaning up against a wall of the closet. They were lost in each other's eyes for a bit before Tony cleared his throat.

"So ..." he said.

"So ..." Natasha said.

"Look, it doesn't look like we're going to be getting out of here any time soon so maybe we should actually talk or something," Tony said nervously. Natasha just stared expectantly back at him, clearly not intending on speaking first.

"Ok, looks like I'm going first then," Tony muttered looking anywhere but at Natasha to save him some embarrassment. "Um ... so ... I kind of ... well ... Oh god! Why is this so difficult?" he asked, more to himself than anyone else. When he looked back at Natasha, she looked curious and sympathetic but behind that, there was a hint of something that had always softened her gaze when she looked at him, he had just never taken the time to consider it before. That hint of something spurred him on.

"So, I like you Natasha, like, like you a lot and I didn't say anything because I didn't think you would ever like me back but since the first time I saw you when you walked into the gym as Natalie Rushman I kind of fell in love with you and..."

Tony was cut off by Natasha's lips pressed against his firmly but with a tenderness. He froze for a moment, shocked that she had initiated a kiss and the fact that it meant that she might like him back, but as he felt her start to pull away, he reached softly for the back of her head and drew her back in for a tender but passionate kiss. When they both ran out of breath, they lent back a bit but stayed close, foreheads touching and they breathed in each other's air.

When Natasha spoke, it was so quiet that Tony very nearly missed it to start with.

"I love you too," she admitted, gazing at him with all her walls down, love shining through her gaze as he imagined it was with his own. Tony looked shocked at the admission and Natasha laughed a soft real laugh.

"You look really cute when you're shocked," she said, no filter on her thoughts at that moment, running a hand gently through his soft hair, rails lightly raking across his scalp making him shiver a little. "And when you're embarrassed like earlier. And you kind of love me. Not sure about the kind of bit"

"I love you," Tony cut her off before kissing her again deeply and pulling her body closer to him so she was basically sat on his lap.

The made out for ages before the door to the closet was slung open and cheering was heard from the other side of the door. Not even pausing in their kisses, Natasha and Tony both flipped them off and ignored them until they heard footsteps indicating they were leaving. When they pulled away, both of them had eyes blown with lust.

As they lay cuddling together in Tony's bed, coming down from their peaceful bliss, Natasha had a thought. Rolling over so she was facing Tony but also practically on top of him, she gazed down at him with a mischievous look in her eyes.

"So, what are we going to do to get them back?" she asked Tony.

"We'll think of something," Tony said. "For the moment though..."

* * *

Clint, Bruce, Steve and Thor were all very proud of the fact that they had succeeded but they weren't stupid enough to think that there wouldn't be retaliation, they just thought that it wouldn't come for a while as Natasha and Tony would be otherwise occupied. They should have known that the two wouldn't be happy until they had exacted their revenge.

Bruce was heading to his lab to do some work now that he had achieved what he wanted and helped to get his friends together. Happily, he walked through the doors to his lab only to be stopped dead in his tracks by the massive wave of packing peanuts that cascaded towards him and buried him. Taking deep breaths to avoid hulking out, Bruce waded forwards only to find that they had been very thorough with their revenge and there were even packing peanuts in his beakers and all of his machinery. The roar of, "HULK HATE SMALL SQUIDGY THINGS!" could be heard throughout all of the tower.

Clint had heard the roar and was now even more on his guard as he headed to the range in the gym area to get some shooting practice in. Sensing no one around, he calmed a little and went to collect his bow, only to roar almost as loud as the Hulk had when he discovered the fate that had befallen his bow. It was painted bright pink and covered in little stick on gems. Whilst Clint was staring in shocked horror at his bow, he felt the air change behind him and span around, only to dodge a punch, kick combo from Natasha. They sparred for a good twenty minutes before Natasha got the upper hand and pinned Clint to the floor whilst she sat on top of him. Feeling her leaning down, Clint flinched but heard, "Don't ever do anything like that to me again ... but thanks." He was shocked into complete stillness and, by the time he regained the use of his body, Natasha was long gone but Clint's grin prevailed for the rest of the day.

Steve's payback was the fact that his shield had been painted in Captain Canada colours instead and he was found miserably contemplating the shield, trying to figure out what to do about its new colour scheme. Thor was very upset to find that there were no pop tarts left in the tower, despite the fact that Tony had just ordered more in, and even though he could constantly smell them where ever he went, he couldn't find any.

Despite their unhappiness at the revenge, the four accepted it Their reward was to see how happy and close Natasha and Tony were, often finding the two curled up on the couch together.

A week later, the four were shocked in the morning when they woke up in their rooms only to find that overnight gifts had been left for them, each accompanied by a simple note on a piece of card that just said one word. Thanks.

Clint woke to receive a new set of arrows and arrowheads and some paint cleaner to strip the paint off his bow. There was also a promise to teach him a fighting style which he had yet to learn but that Natasha knew. Steve found the numbers, addresses and information about Peggy Carter and her niece Sharon Carter who was an agent with S.H.I.E.L.D as it turned out. Thor found a large stash of pop tarts which he immediately opened and began to eat and Bruce, well, Bruce found a pair of trousers with a note pinned to them that said that they would stretch with him when he hulked out so he no longer had to worry about waking up completely naked. There was also a device with a video on it which, when watched showed General Ross getting beaten up and given his comeuppance and then being made to promise never to chase Bruce again or face the wrath of the Avengers. Bruce was shocked at what they had done for him and the threats they had given a General. They had put themselves in danger doing that and he was shocked and very overwhelmed.

All four of them headed down to the common floor for breakfast, only to find Natasha and Tony already there curled up together on the couch, a film ready and food prepared for them all. No words were spoken but the meaning behind the gifts and this impromptu team bonding session was clear an all understood it. Though they would never admit it out loud, both Natasha and Tony were very thankful to their friends for helping them find love and happiness in each other and showed it the only way they knew how. Clint, Bruce, Steve and Thor hadn't needed the gifts. They were just happy seeing their friends so happy and in love and, as they settled down for a day of films together, to have their family around them.

* * *

And it's done. Hope you all enjoyed it even when it got a bit OCC at times. My new method of writing in advance is going quite well as I've been managing to keep to posting about a chapter a day of this story but that might change now as I'm going back to school and have exams. Unbeta'd so sorry for the mistakes throughout the whole story and especially in this final chapter. Thank you to everyone who had read this story and followed, favourited or reviewed it. You've all kept me going with this one. Oh, and the name of the story if anyone was wondering is because of the two original avengers that were matchmaking. Clint uses a bow and arrows and was matchmaking and so that inspired the Cupid part and Bruce turning into the Hulk and smashing things inspired the fist part and with the heavy handed nature of some of their plans I thought it fitted!


End file.
